Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How to change the exhaust Manifold.

[brobeson]

My exhaust Manifold is cracked and I will be installing the ATS 3 piece.



My question is do you need to remove the turbo or can it just be unbolted from the manifold.



My repair manual says to remove the turbo, but it looks like you can remove the manifold without removing the turbo from the truck/exhaust/oil lines etc.



Any in-site would me most helpful.



TIA



Bob

 

[RADdodge]

Less Hassel - Get It Out Of The Way...

I suppose you could do it, but there will be fewer hassles just to remove it and get it out of the way. You're already there removing the turbo to manifold bolts, why stop there? Those were the hardest to remove when I installed my ATS. The clamp on the turbo and the oil line are no big deal. Imo.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

You don't need to remove the turbo. That is, you can leave it connected to the boost and exhaust pipes, and the oil feed and drain attached.

 

[Joel Richards]

We just replaced mine today (thanks Chris), and don't believe it would have been as easy if I had left the turbo in the truck. I would take it out if I were you.



HTH

Joel

 

[EricBu12]

you can leave the turbo in the truck, just unbolt it and lay it back against the fender. then go after the manifold.



On the manifold there is a threaded stud that needs to be transfered to the new one.



on the thing of putting the 3 piece together, you need to put the anti-sieze on the sleeves and then using the old manifold for a measuring, make the adjustible distance the EXACT same as the fixed distance. Then the gaskets have little keepers on them so you can thread a few turns on the bolts and have the gaskets on and then slap it on the truck.



BIG NOTE!!! after you torque the bolts, drive it and use it and go back a week later and retorque them. I lost 2 bolts from not doing this.

 

[brobeson]

thanks for the advice.

I should be getting my manifold Monday.

 

[juicedcummins]

It's easier left on and you don't have to fuss with the cooler clamps or priming the turbo.

 

[BIG BOB]

I did mine today (yesterday, it after midnight). I disconnected the turbo from my exhaust brake, and the intercooler line and layed it against the fender out of the way. The manifold went on without a hitch. On mine the bolt holes were 4 3/4" center to center. I would measure the head for the most accurate measurement.



One thing I didn't like about the ATS manifold was the mounting system for the heater hose. It doesn't work. I took the hard line heater hose off, extended the hose from the engine, modified the hard line and mounted it above the manifold. I'll post a picture tomorrow. I could never figure why that hard line went right under the exhaust manifold. If it was to help heat the water in it, that seems pretty lame. Anyone way I'll post a picture tomorrow, or maybe I should say later today.

 

[Ted Constantine]

Bob,



Any chance of posting a picture of the cracked manifold?? I would like to see how it craked and where.



Thanks

Ted

 

[BIG BOB]

Here are the picture links for the crack manifold (almost in two pieces) and also the new manifold and the rerouted hard line for the heater.



Bottom side Cracked Manifold



Top side of Cracked Manifold



Relocated Hard Line for Heater



Notice relocated mounting brack on hard line to mount to ATS manifold



PAINTED ORANGE? Yes, that way when we are 1600*+ the color will match! HeHeHe!

 

[work2muchplay2little]

Clean-up?

Big Bob, that looks good. Your cracked manifold is exactly what mine looks like now. The crack has extened past the EGT thermocouple about 3/4" in the past 2 weeks. A question: how did you all go about cleaning up the soot that has coated everything on that side of the engine? Mine's quite a mess at the moment.

 

[BIG BOB]

I used Simple Green, however, my wife bought some stuff call Awesome from the $ store, I tried it before, just didn't have any now, but I think it works better.

 

[LarryG]

Is the installation of the pyrometer probe causing stress concentration on the manifold? Is that where everybody's manifold is cracking?

 

[rspinks]

Same question as lgould, are manifolds cracking through the pyro holes in general? I have a 1/4npt pyro to go in someday soon, if it's going to contribute to the cracking manifold syndrome I'd rather put it in the downpipe and deal with the lower temperature readings. I know one TDR member who is a DC mechanic and he has his probe post-turbo for this reason.

 

[work2muchplay2little]

From what I've read and experienced myself, the cracking starts towards the engine side of the manifold and spreads up and down from there. Mine took almost a month to reach the EGT thermocouple and another week to spread beyond it. I personally wouldn't hesitate to tap the same place.

 

[rspinks]

So the cracks aren't starting at the t/c hole but they tend to propogate through the hole eventually? I guess that's good news but I'd rather see the cracks not go through the t/c hole at all, then I'd know it's not related. Actually I guess I'd rather see no manifold cracks if that were an option .